7 Tips for a Strong Holiday Season at Your Vacation Rental
2023 Vacation Rental Industry Update
Your vacation rental is likely already booked for the holiday season, but there are countless ways to make the holidays extra special for your guests, ensuring a successful and profitable season. If you're in a mountain town or winter destination like Breckenridge or Park City, this is your peak season, so it's crucial to ensure everything runs smoothly and exceeds your guests' expectations.
In today’s blog, we’ll be breaking down 7 of our best tips to help you in crafting the strongest holiday season yet.
#1: Ensure You Complete All of Your Winterization Preparations
Before the full swing of the winter season begins and brings the wrath of Mother Nature down upon your rental, it’s essential to complete all of your winterization preparations before the holidays. At the very least, schedule a maintenance inspection to identify any potential problems that need to be addressed. It’s also a good idea to make an appointment to deep clean your property in order to get the house looking great for the big days ahead.
#2: Bring the Holiday Spirit to Your Property with Decorations
It never hurts to get a little festive for the end of the year holidays. Not only will your guests appreciate anything that helps them feel like they’re at home, but it can also make your neighbors like you a bit more to join in on the festivities and make the neighborhood a little brighter.
Since you probably won’t know what holidays your guest celebrates, you should go for more generalized decorations, like holiday lights, mistletoe, and wreaths.
#3: Use this As an Opportunity to Promote Seasonal Amenities and Add-ons
In the same vein as our last tip, seasonal amenities and add-ons can be a boon for vacation rental owners during the end of the year. Large groups will appreciate and gladly pay for early check-in or late check-out on these days, but don’t let even more upsell opportunities pass you by. Ask your guests if they’d like you to decorate for a specific holiday before they arrive or if they need you to stock up the pantry–and upcharge accordingly.
#4: Make Sure the Kitchen is Stocked for Holiday Meals
Everyone loves to cook during the holidays, especially if they’re visiting with and hosting family and friends at your vacation rental for these special days of the year. One way to ensure that you get lots of five-star reviews at the end of the season is to stock up the kitchen with holiday cooking essentials, such as large pots and pans for cooking for big parties, sharpened knives and new cutlery to impress their guests, or even adding in some additional kitchen appliances like a toaster oven or air fryer. Like we mentioned above, you can even offer to stock the pantry while you’re at it, and earn a cool bit of profit from the endeavor as well.
#5: Recommend Local Seasonal Attractions in the Area
While your guests are spending the holiday at your short-term rental, they might want to make some memories with those they’re traveling with or visiting. If you have a welcome guide for your guests, now’s the time to update it with all of your local recommendations for seasonal attractions. For instance, if your rental is located near a place with a great drive-through light display or a Christmas theme park, be sure to mention that to your guests to help them create memories that will last a lifetime.
#6: Stock Up on Winter Essentials
With winter comes colder weather, and there’s no doubt that your holiday guests are going to want to warm themselves by the fire while wrapped in a cozy blanket and drinking hot chocolate. Grab the essentials for a warm winter’s night, such as warm blankets, fluffy robes, a s’mores or hot chocolate kit, and anything else you think you would enjoy in a vacation rental on a chilly night. Not only will guests appreciate the extra unique touches, they’ll also be more like to give you a good review when the time comes.
#7: Offer Ways for Guests to Sleep More for the Holidays
No matter if your property is a large home or a small one, there’s always tricks to add more bedding to accommodate more guests, and this becomes especially valuable during the holiday season. If your short-term rental only sleeps 4, think about adding a trundle bed or switching out a full-sized bed for bunk beds. Or, if you already have plenty of space, think about what you can utilize to make each nook cozier for guests, whether that’s the fluffy blankets we mentioned above or even a white noise machine to help the kids drift off to dreamland.
Become an Expert STR Owner With Even More Tips
There’s no doubt that the holiday season can be the most lucrative time of the year for short-term rental owners, and we hope the tips outlined above can help you in crafting the strongest winter season of your life.
Interested in learning even more short-term rental owner tips? Check out our tips for decluttering your vacation rental or our recommendations for turning your short-term rental into an easy-to-manage automated system.